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With nearly 10,000 farms in New Jersey, it’s inevitable that there will be surplus crops that there aren’t enough farmers or time to pick. For nearly three decades, a New Jersey organization has been working to preserve those thousands of pounds of surplus crops and donate them to those who need them most.
Farmers Against Hunger (FAH)is a nonprofit based in Burlington County that has been working to bridge the state’s agricultural community with hunger relief organizations since 1996. The program works directly with farms across the state, scheduling volunteer visits to farms to glean (collect and pick leftover crops) and then load produce onto fleets of trucks that deliver hundreds to thousands of pounds of fresh food to organizations that feed those struggling with food insecurity.
“We were started by farmers who noticed that fields growing food weren’t all being used,” said program director Stacey Kennedy. “Farmers came together to figure out how to piece together this fresh food that they worked so hard to grow in the Garden State and figure out how to get it into the hands of people in their communities who needed fresh food.”
Anyone can volunteer to help. Photo: Courtesy of NJAS Farmers Against Hunger
FAH is affiliated with the New Jersey Agricultural Association and is headquartered in DeLand. Its network covers more than 200 farms across the state, of which about 80 are core farms that it regularly cooperates with. These farms contact FAH when there is a surplus of crops, and FAH then sends the gleaning details to volunteers. There are usually three to five gleaning activities per week.
Volunteers have the opportunity to be a farmer for a day. Kennedy describes the volunteer experience as a “VIP gleaning and tour” of the Jersey farms they work on. During these private gleaning events, farmers lead an average of 15 volunteers to a designated area in the field covered with crops that would otherwise go to waste, and volunteers work hands-on for about two hours to collect as much produce as possible.
FAH harvests a variety of produce, from light crops like spinach and blueberries to heavy crops like pumpkins and watermelons.
“It’s always an adventure. No two harvests are the same,” said Harry Cross, 68, a Little Egg Harbor resident who has been volunteering for more than a decade.
Cross, a former farmer himself, is passionate about reducing produce waste and providing food to those in need. He typically gleans with FAH three or four times a year, and on each trip he tries to fill his truck with what’s left after the team’s gleaning, which he then distributes to his own local food pantry.
“I try to pick where the produce lasts a long time and is very usable,” he said, noting that his favorites to pick are apples and corn. “The last time I came to (one of the food pantries) with apples, the line cheered.”
Anyone can volunteer at FAH. Currently, there are over 500 active volunteers, many of whom have been participating for many years. Some may only attend a few times a year, like Cross.
As for distribution partners, FAH provides free fresh produce to approximately 80 hunger relief organizations, such as food banks and soup kitchens, within two days of receipt. Some of the organizations they frequently serve are located in Camden, Mount Holly, Trenton, and Highland Park; some of which are considered food deserts, areas where affordable fresh food is difficult to obtain.
In addition to major famine relief organizations, FAH also delivers agricultural products to Camden Cathedral Kitchensoften providing them with hundreds of pounds of food at a time. The Cathedral Kitchen has been in operation for 48 years and is of great significance to Camden, one of the poorest cities in the state. The kitchen serves dinner on weekdays and lunch on weekends, and serves 450 to 650 meals a day.
“There are no supermarkets in Camden. Our guests can come here and enjoy hot, nutritious meals prepared by our team of chefs. They can’t get that anywhere else,” said Noreen Flewelling, Senior Director of Development at Cathedral Kitchen.
Most of FAH’s donations go toward hot meals, packaged meals sent to after-school programs and a market stand at Cathedral Kitchen, where guests can choose the produce they want. Flewelling said this gives them choice, since food kitchens usually just give guests a bag with pre-selected items.
Other organizations with similar missions include AmpleHarvest.orga West Milford-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing food insecurity, has a national website where backyard gardeners can find local food pantries to which they can donate their excess harvests.
America “plants a row”a nonprofit organization based in Pittstown, Owning more than 400 acres With four farm acres, produce is picked by volunteers and distributed to hunger relief organizations across the country.
While these organizations always welcome volunteers, helping the hungry It doesn’t have to be on a farm..
“Support your local food pantry,” Cross said. “If you can’t scavenge, ‘scavenge’ from your kitchen and bring something there.”
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